1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for milking animals, wherein the apparatus comprises: at least one teat cup for arranging on a teat of an udder of the animal; a conduit connected to the teat cup for throughfeed of the milk milked with the teat cups to a storage; and testing means for testing the milk, and wherein the method comprises the steps of pretreatment, foremilking, and milking of at least one teat of an udder of a livestock animal, and testing the milk, and selectively separating milk on the basis of the findings during testing.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is noted that foremilking is a step in the method wherein milk is actually obtained using the teat cups. For diverse reasons, such as hygiene, cell count and so on, a previously determined or chosen quantity of the milk originating from a teat is automatically separated. In accordance with the wishes of a producer or a farmer, a determined initial period of the actual milking can be designated as the foremilking and the quantity obtained in that period is separated, irrespective of the quantity thereof. Alternatively, a predetermined first quantity in liters can be automatically separated. Irrespective of whether the foremilking is defined as an initial quantity or an initial period, it is chosen such that, after the foremilking, the milking results with certainty in milk which is good, reliable and so on.
Such apparatus and methods are known by way of example wherein the conduits run to a central storage, such as a milk collector, and the milk from each of the teats of the livestock animal is collectively tested for the quality hereof, for instance for the presence of mastitis.
A significant drawback of the known apparatus is that tests on the quality of the milk are only performed if the flow of milk milked from a quarter or the whole udder has already been started. This has the specific effect that if the quality of the milk from at least one quarter were found to be of inferior quality, some of this xe2x80x9caffectedxe2x80x9d milk has already been transported to a central storage. This entails health hazards. In order to prevent such health hazards, all the milk in the central storage must still be thrown away.
The invention has for its object to at least partially, and preferably wholly, obviate the drawbacks of the known apparatus and methods, for which purpose there are provided an apparatus and a method which are distinguished respectively by a pretreatment system, which subjects the teats to a pretreatment, such as cleaning, and provides milk released herein or during the foremilking to the testing means, and by testing the milk obtained during pretreatment of at least the teats of the udder, such as the cleaning thereof, or during the foremilking. According to the invention the milk can be tested in the time available during the pretreatment, which is favourable for the reliability of the finally obtained test results or findings, while the milk from a teat with a xe2x80x9cdisorderxe2x80x9d is with certainty wholly separated from the milk from the other teats which is of adequate quality. The quality of the milk for delivery is thus ensured. This as opposed to the situation where any testing only takes place during the actual milking of each of the teats.
In greater preference the milk obtained at the end of the foremilking is subjected to the test. Reference is made to the above definition of foremilking. xe2x80x9cAt the end of foremilkingxe2x80x9d is understood to mean a sample near the end of the period of foremilking, or which is obtained just before the chosen quantity of foremilk is obtained. Precisely because the foremilk is defined as a predetermined period or quantity, after which milk which is good, reliable, hygienically safe and so on is obtained with certainty, it can be stated with a great measure of certainty that this is also the case for a sample obtained near the end of the period or when the predetermined quantity is obtained which is designated as foremilk. The reliability of the test is hereby increased and the milk to be obtained thereafter can with great certainty still be either separated or not on the basis of the findings in the tests. This with great certainty and, moreover, completely. Not a drop of milk of insufficient quality need enter the main flow.
In a preferred embodiment the apparatus further comprises at least two conduits and at least two teat cups, wherein the conduits each comprise a branch with a controllable valve mechanism, wherein the valve mechanism is adapted to connect the teat cup to the branch, which is connected to an outlet, in response to findings of the testing means during individual testing of the milk originating from the relevant teats, and thus milking of at least two teats, individually testing the foremilk from each of the separate teats for a disorder such as mastitis; and selectively separating the milk originating from the relevant teats on the basis of the findings in the testing of the foremilk.
Another drawback is obviated with this embodiment, wherein milk originating from teats not affected by a disorder is lost, when it is determined in the test that only one of the teats of the livestock animal is affected by a disorder. Milk is therefore no longer lost unnecessarily if only one of the at least two teats is affected or in any case-produces milk of insufficient quality.
In this embodiment of the present invention the milking is not interrupted. Each of the teats is fully milked without a subsequent operation being necessary to later milk a teat which produces milk of insufficient quality so as to keep the milk originating herefrom separate from the rest of the milk of sufficient quality (if the milking of the xe2x80x9caffectedxe2x80x9d teat were to be interrupted in the case of a finding that a disorder is present here). According to the present invention there is furthermore no milk lost from teats producing a milk of sufficient quality.
In the apparatus according to the present invention the valve mechanism can be designed in diverse ways and can be controlled in diverse ways, for instance electro-mechanically and/or pneumatically. A pneumatic control has the particular advantage that use is already made of a vacuum for the milking, so that existing systems can be adjusted in simple manner with such means in order to provide an apparatus according to the present invention.
The valve mechanism itself can also be designed in diverse ways, such as a mechanically controllable rotating valve, which connects either the teat cup to the branch, or the teat cup to the continuation of the conduit beyond the branch in the flow direction. As an alternative which in particularly advantageous manner can be designed in combination with a pneumatic control, at least one of the conduits, as well as the associated branch, is a flexible hose, and the associated valve mechanism comprises clamps on each of the conduit and the branch which in energized state close the passage therethrough, wherein a control for the valve mechanism is adapted to energize only one of the clamps at a time.